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Sealobo · Dec 30, 2009, 06:41 PM

In no particular order... i assume:

Canon Digital ELPH (2000)
Apple PowerBook G4 (Titanium) (2001)
Microsoft Windows XP (2001) / Apple Mac OS X (2000)
Apple iPod (2001)
TiVo Series2 (2002)
Motorola RAZR V3 (2003)
PalmOne Treo 600 / 650 (2003 / 2004)
Microsoft Xbox 360 (2005)
Apple iPhone (2007)
ASUS Eee PC 900 (2008)

Ten gadgets that defined the decade -- Engadget

Something is wrong about this list...

turtle777 · Dec 30, 2009, 06:47 PM

Originally Posted by Sealobo

Something is wrong about this list...

And that is ?

-t

Sealobo · Dec 30, 2009, 06:54 PM

For example, the RAZR shouldn't be on the list. It was nothing innovative excepted for the fact that it was thin, and to quote the Editior, "the feature set was a little dated at the time of introduction, or that it was oddly oversized when opened and held against the face."

And TiVo... i know it's significant, but only in america, right? the decade doesn't really belong only to the US. =P

Uncle Skeleton · Dec 30, 2009, 06:54 PM

chronological order?

Chuckit · Dec 30, 2009, 06:54 PM

It should really be the Xbox rather than the 360 on that list. The Xbox was the system that created online console gaming. The 360 was just a nice hardware upgrade.

Sealobo · Dec 30, 2009, 06:56 PM

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton

chronological order?

er... yes. apparently. my head ain't working well before breakfast.

Doofy · Dec 30, 2009, 07:10 PM

Says a lot about society if that crap was the sum total of the decade's defining gadgets.

sek929 · Dec 30, 2009, 07:16 PM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

It should really be the Xbox rather than the 360 on that list. The Xbox was the system that created online console gaming. The 360 was just a nice hardware upgrade.

Not to mention the original Xbox didn't have a 33% failure rate.

My original Xbox still hums away with a 500gb HDD as my media center, and I'm on my 4th 360...

Laminar · Dec 30, 2009, 08:55 PM

Originally Posted by sek929

Not to mention the original Xbox didn't have a 33% failure rate.

You're being generous.

Sealobo · Dec 30, 2009, 09:05 PM

Originally Posted by Laminar

You're being generous.

Everyone i know has a 100% failure rate.

ghporter · Dec 30, 2009, 09:20 PM

Originally Posted by Sealobo

For example, the RAZR shouldn't be on the list. It was nothing innovative excepted for the fact that it was thin, and to quote the Editior, "the feature set was a little dated at the time of introduction, or that it was oddly oversized when opened and held against the face."

Considering how many phones have copied the basic format of the RAZR, including the metal case, thin profile, dual displays (inside/outside), and generally overall functional design, I think it was a defining device. The OS and feature set aren't particularly more advanced than the V180 I had before the RAZR, but the RAZR seriously outperformed the V180 in most respects, especially in terms of the basic phone function. It isn't a "groundbreaking" device, but it did blaze a trail for "phones that do more than just make calls and store phone numbers."

downinflames68 · Dec 30, 2009, 09:32 PM

How about the PS2?

Chuckit · Dec 30, 2009, 09:33 PM

Dual displays were reasonably common before the RAZR came along. It was just very flat.

Big Mac · Dec 30, 2009, 10:07 PM

Originally Posted by downinflames68

How about the PS2?

Nothing on the list is from 1999, but it should count if they're saying the decade in question is 1999-2009, right?

Chuckit · Dec 30, 2009, 10:10 PM

Playstation 2 was released in 2000 anyway.

Big Mac · Dec 30, 2009, 10:16 PM

Sorry, Quick Read = misread.

Yeah, it certainly was released in 2000, and it should have been on the list.

ort888 · Dec 31, 2009, 12:18 AM

Originally Posted by Big Mac

Nothing on the list is from 1999, but it should count if they're saying the decade in question is 1999-2009, right?

Er, that would be 11 years.

I agree that the PS2 would be a much better choice for a decade defining console then the 360. Or maybe the Wii.

I think a cheap DVD player belongs on this list.

I have actually owned a lot of these...

Canon Digital ELPH (2000) (not the 2000 model, but a future ELPH)
Apple PowerBook G4 (Titanium) (2001) Yup. Had the original when it came out.
Microsoft Windows XP (2001) / Apple Mac OS X (2000) Bought OS X the second it came out
Apple iPod (2001) My first was a 3rd Gen
TiVo Series2 (2002) Yup
Microsoft Xbox 360 (2005) Yup
Apple iPhone (2007) Yup (3GS)

Person Man · Dec 31, 2009, 12:36 AM

Someone explain to me how Windows XP and Mac OS X are "gadgets."

Ghoser777 · Dec 31, 2009, 12:58 AM

No mention of navigational systems? Mobile Google Maps or Garmin or Tom Tom or what not? I know they've changed the way I travel.

angelmb · Dec 31, 2009, 01:22 AM

It's the iPod.

And brand of the decade is Apple.

You should know better.

mattyb · Dec 31, 2009, 04:49 AM

Originally Posted by Doofy

Says a lot about AMERICAN society if that crap was the sum total of the decade's defining gadgets.

Fixed.

kmkkid · 11:23 AM

Top gadgets/tech for me would be:

iPod
iPhone
PS2
Bluetooth
WiFi
HSDPA/3G
Push for HD standards/tech

Can't really think of any others as important as those :/ As far as redefining the way we live today.

Quite frankly, it was painful growing up as a teen in the "non-digital" age - now that I look back on it.

(chewed up cassettes, VHS tapes, scratched skipping cd's/dvd's, fuzzy as hell analog tv, and phones that were only phones! not handheld computers, and wires out the ying yang... etc.)

downinflames68 · Dec 31, 2009, 04:25 PM

I'd say PS2, iPod, Titanium Powerbook (future of mobile computing), and butterfly vibrator. Also, the Palm didn't matter at all except to a select few geeks. Palms and PDAs in general, are total failures.

ghporter · Dec 31, 2009, 06:26 PM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

Dual displays were reasonably common before the RAZR came along. It was just very flat.

It had dual displays that could do different things at the same time, which was a departure from earlier phones that generally only had one on at any one time.

I think some of us are confusing "defining" with "best." My RAZR was a major asset, though it was hardly the be-all of phones. It was, however, comfortable to carry, easy to use, full of features and versatile. It also performed its primary function extremely well.

Let's look at the paired Windows XP/OS X "defining gadgets." They were both major departures from what had come before, were both exceptionally more friendly and usable than their predecessors, they introduced features that were extremely useful, and helped set the stage for what has come since. In both the case of the phone and the OSs, they "defined" what people expected when they envisioned an item in their category. Win98 was rotting in the ground as far as most people were concerned, as was OS 8. And most pre-RAZR Motorola phones, though workable and effective, were relegated to second class status by the RAZR. Thus the decade (which by the way doesn't end until a year from now) was "defined" by items that people pictured as being the "tech gadgets" of their time.

Chuckit · Dec 31, 2009, 06:55 PM

The decade doesn't end until a year from now? That would imply that 1990 was part of the 1980s.

Sealobo · Dec 31, 2009, 07:15 PM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

The decade doesn't end until a year from now? That would imply that 1990 was part of the 1980s.

count from zero... year 0.00 --> year 9.99 = first decade A.D.?

ghporter · Dec 31, 2009, 07:15 PM

Decades, like centuries, start with a year that ends in one, not zero. Ten years ago we were all arguing about the "new century" actually not starting until 2001. 1990 was the year that culminated the 80s. Sad and sort of horrifying, isn't it?

Doofy · Dec 31, 2009, 07:21 PM

Originally Posted by ghporter

Decades, like centuries, start with a year that ends in one, not zero. Ten years ago we were all arguing about the "new century" actually not starting until 2001. 1990 was the year that culminated the 80s. Sad and sort of horrifying, isn't it?

No no no no.

The point in time at 00:00:00 1/1/2000 ended the decade. 00:00:01 1/1/2000 was part of the new one.

Sealobo · Dec 31, 2009, 07:25 PM

Originally Posted by Doofy

No no no no.

The point in time at 00:00:00 1/1/2000 ended the decade. 00:00:01 1/1/2000 was part of the new one.

looked up some info... there was no year 0.... it was like 1 BC and then immediately 1 AD... so by the END of year 10 AD, we had our first complete decade...

so i guess we still have a year to go before to move to the next decade. ha.

Doofy · Dec 31, 2009, 07:29 PM

Originally Posted by Sealobo

looked up some info... there was no year 0.... it was like 1 BC and then immediately 1 AD... so by the END of year 10 AD, we had our first complete decade...

But we've swapped calendars a couple of times since then, haven't we?

turtle777 · Dec 31, 2009, 08:41 PM

Originally Posted by Sealobo

looked up some info... there was no year 0.... it was like 1 BC and then immediately 1 AD... so by the END of year 10 AD, we had our first complete decade...

That just means the first "decade" had only 9 years.

-t